Wednesday, February 1, 2012

SHOPPERS - SILVER YEAR

2011, Feeble Mind/Drugged Conscience

Shoppers will fuck your shit right up with with a caustic and graceful sound that clamors with blinding beauty and pure rawk fury; this is even better than music for the end of the world, it's a reaffirmation that the human ability to feel empowered and rise above, if only for ourselves, is always possible despite whatever existential/pseudostructuralist/sociopsycho bent we take on; that the fuckin' soul is always free and can be so and feel so always, etc... And it's helpful to like great music to get something like what I apparently got out of this record, and I think the record is great.

With an exclamation mark. Even!

This is even better than Refused, really.Somehow, to me, they've got themselves a sound that I'd say makes me think of a special kind of sincerity, a more earnest assuredness, and recalls for me the combined sounds of Bikini Kill and golden age Sonic Youth. To be honest, I was never a Sonic Youth fan, really, there's only a couple records I liked but Experimental Jetset, Thousand Leaves, Goo, Dirty.. faverit' song on that was that Untouchables cover, Nic Fit! Big fun, sure.

But really, this is even better than that.What Shoppers have going here on Silver Year is a sound of maple necked guitars and a rhythm section that know exactly what it's all trying do and actually doing it with natural ease and effort, it's sincere punk rock sung well and it is a must listen for fans of Shellac and the Ramones. That is, Shellac, and the Ramones! Or for that matter fans of the Nels Cline and Carla Bozulich band after the Geraldine Fibbers, Scarnella, who're also fans of the great Japanese hardcore band Gauze! Also, imagine My Bloody Valentine crossed with the Wipers.

What I'm saying is, this came out last year and I've only listened to it last week and if I'd heard it last year it'd be up there with the Bell Witch's demo for me, which I guess it really is anyway? Which is being pressed to vinyl for sale in the spring? Get on that. There was alot of good music last year hey?

Anyway. Silver Year. One of the best records of 2011 that I didn't get to hear last year. They have singles I'd really love to hear. Holy shit! Noisepunkrawk shining greatness at it's best!And yes, that's the 'original' art, there.